


When you’re a lion like me and a lion like you

by judoflip



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: After Spring Interhigh, F/M, Feelings Realization, No pining they’ve got it together, Shimizu senpai acting a fool, only read this if u cherish shimizu and tanaka as individuals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:42:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28027224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/judoflip/pseuds/judoflip
Summary: Daichi. I wish you were a time-travelling wizard who could send me back in time so I could accept Tanaka’s marriage proposal.OrThat time Kiyoko simped for Tanaka.
Relationships: Shimizu Kiyoko/Tanaka Ryuunosuke
Comments: 12
Kudos: 59





	When you’re a lion like me and a lion like you

The Monday of her last week in the Karasuno volleyball club started like any other day.

Kiyoko got up at 5:30 AM, got dressed, drank two cups of milk— one plain and one chocolate— and sprinted to school.

Once there, she left her things in the girl’s lockers and went down the stairs to open the gym.

Some bald man (Kiyoko mentally chuckled at her brain calling _him_ that) was already in front of the gym stairs, 20 minutes before practice, waiting to go in— even though clubs were off after tournaments, letting students focus on finals; volleyball idiots wanted to hear Daichi scream at them one last time though, so they decided to keep going with a light routine.

“Good morning, Tanaka.”

“What’s up, senpai?” He went a bit red and grinned a very Tanaka grin. Kiyoko felt her heart gently awaken, almost an hour after the rest of her. “Let me in, let me in.”

“Alright, alright.” She stopped and turned to unlock the doors, “I’m good. Drank choco milk today. How about you?”

“Agh, stop makin’ me jealous. Nee-san made kale juice,” he blew a curt raspberry.

“Sorry to hear that.” Kiyoko kindly held one door open for her kouhai.

“Eh, I’m gettin’ used to it.” Tanaka zoomed in past her, leaving a trail of fresh laundry and toothpaste. Kiyoko chased it, then stopped to ask herself what she was doing.

_I am entering the gym, which is normal._

She watched Tanaka start to untangle the volley net, was going to help when she heard him say, “Shi-mi-zu. Se-n-pa-i.”

Oh, her.

“Hn?”

“You ran track right?”

“Hn.”

“Any good?”

“Mm.”

“Bet I’m faster than you.”

Kiyoko’s eyes narrowed. “Outside. Three laps around the gym. Loser buys me onion rings.”

Tanaka dropped the net, “Then prepare to buy yourself some onion rings!”

They zapped out.

* * *

Kiyoko pointed, “Let’s take those bikes, we can jump over them.”

“What if their owners show up?”

“Then you can punch them.”

“What if they punch me back?”

“Then we apologize.”

Tanaka’s laughter grated her ears. It also made her feel like she was ten at her grandparent’s farm drinking freshly squeezed milk from a young cow, still warm from her insides and with a splash of imported cognac. Her stomach seizes but she’s already chugged half the cup when her grandpa realizes the switch and snatches it from her hands. She starts waking up at 5:30 everyday.

In other words, it gave her a whole new appreciation for early mornings.

* * *

“Get set. Go.”

Tanaka shoved her hard to the side and took off cackling with a shout of “Sorry! Need a handicap!” as she stumbled.

She quickly gained her footing, and ran like a bull to red, red being: Tanaka’s utter decimation.

* * *

Tanaka was fast. He was behind her, but he chased her like she just insulted his ancestors and stole all his money. His form was good too, if a bit tense, and he had glowered rabidly when she surpassed him on the second lap.

Like he really would hate losing to her right then.

Her heart pistoned gasoline to her legs. Each strike of her forefoot against the ground pumped crisp helium into her lungs. Every second in which she was being propelled forward— suspended in air over some rando’s bike— was like jumping over death’s abyss. Tanaka’s stomps and too-close huffs terrified her.

She was still so in love with competition.

* * *

He actually accelerated on the last metres, as if he generated energy out of pure hatred. But Kiyoko did too, her trained body kicking in just that nanosecond sooner, bursting with actual explosiveness it had reserved for this moment alone.

Kiyoko let out an awkward whoop when she crossed the finish line, but Tanaka was toppling next to her like a baby deer still wet from the womb, and she felt too smug to be embarrassed.

* * *

Tanaka laid out on the dirt, panting. “So, plain onion? Or do you like the spicy ones?”

Kiyoko walked over and crouched beside him, grabbing a stick from the ground. “Never tried spicy. You can get me some.” She hovered the thing at his nose, trying to get it inside a nostril.

“Gonna poke my eye out, senpai.” He didn’t call her Kiyoko when Nishinoya wasn’t there.

“I’m very careful. I’m gonna be a brain surgeon.”

He craned his neck up and she quickly retracted the stick to avoid really poking him. “Really?”

She smiled slightly and shook her head.

“Yeah, it doesn’t suit you.” He dropped back down. “Not that you couldn’t do it, it just sounds— _yawn,_ you know,” Kiyoko felt bizarrely flattered and they snickered carelessly at the nerdy surgeons, as jocks do. “What are you gonna be then?”

“I dunno,” she shrugged a little. “Something with sports though.”

“OH?” She startled a bit. “THAT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE! SENPAI!”

Something in her chest glowed at the exaggerated reaction. She resumed twirling the stick next to his face. “You too, right, Tanaka?”

“Hm, sports...it’s definitely what I’m most into right now, but I really, really don’t know yet. Aargh.” He laughed with self-deprecation.

Oh, the burden of the senpai who barely knows what to do herself. She should give advice like _talk to people_ , or encouragement like _I'm sure you'll succeed in whatever you choose_. But this was Tanaka. She had seen this boy almost everyday for two years now.

"You’d do great, so think about it. Maybe we could partner up again."

It was obvious that Tanaka didn't expect it, but the shimmer in his eyes as he blinked was a relief to her. He turned his head and yelled at the sun. Then he turned back to say, "Alright, I'll think about it. You can't take that back, you know."

"I know."

Tanaka grabbed the end of the stick she still fiddled with and sat up in a crouch as well. Fine red earth drizzled from his head to his scrappy shoulders, making her think of terracotta warriors come to life. “How do you write your name?” He asked.

Kiyoko blinked. She moved the stick and Tanaka let go, watching her trace the kanji for _Shimizu Kiyoko_ on the ground.

“Woah. Looks cool. Somehow your name is very you, senpai.”

“Thank you.”

He took the thing from her and erased the first two kanji. She raised an eyebrow. Then he started to draw another, simpler one.

_Tana—_

She smacked his hand. He smacked back.

“I just wanna see how it looks!” Tanaka continued trying to write his surname next to her name while Kiyoko wrestled with his arms.

Her cheeks simmered. If you took the top of her head off steam would come out.

Tanaka abruptly stopped. Kiyoko’s hands slid off his arm when he scratched out his garbled writings. Then he wrote her complicated surname again, with surprising agility. “You’re right. It’s badass enough already.” She looked at him and he was smiling at her, a bit apologetically. Her face went even warmer, but she didn’t look away.

“Tanaka-san. Don’t be shameless.”

“Pfft. Sorry, sorry.” He laughed, then looked over her head. “Hey, the idiots are here!” He used her shoulders as support to get up. She almost ate the ground but it was strangely reassuring.

She turned her head and waved at the other second years. Nishinoya looked at her, then at Tanaka trotting from her direction, then he slapped Tanaka really hard on the back. Tanaka smacked him up the head, then got a shove, then he was chasing Nishinoya into the gym.

Kiyoko waited until everyone was inside to bury her face in her arms.

* * *

“Mornin’ Shimizu. About today’s schedule, we planned bla bla bla...”

_Daichi. I wish you were a time-travelling wizard who could send me back in time so I could accept Tanaka’s marriage proposal._

“Hagoo tababo npapoy...” Daichi continued.

_What were you thinking refusing that man, Kiyoko._

“What was I thinking.” Kiyoko whispered.

“Pardon? Did you say something, Shimizu?”

“Hn? Not at all. Today we’re practicing aiming and then digging until 3, then stamina training until 3:30PM, then 3 matches. I think we should fit in some position and communication practice in there too, if possible.” The team needed it. Also some bald men looked good when they strategized. “Need to put in order for new net. Coach’s antsy, keep Noya away and coffee near. Meeting with Ennoshita and Tanaka about captaincy after. Got it, anything else?”

“Uhh great! No, that’s all. Tell me if you need anything.”

_Make Azumane throw me so hard in the opposite direction of the Earth’s rotation that I land in last year and say yes to Tanaka._

“Sure, you too.”

She turned around and promptly tripped, in that stupid way where your foot catches on nothing then stomps a meter in front of you; you, head down, arms up beside you, because Tanaka had just taken off his shirt.

“You okay there, Shimizu?”

Kiyoko straightened up, looking ahead, “Yes.”

Tanaka was yelling, oblivious, “Anyone got a spare?! Mine’s dirty...”

“Ryuu!” Nishinoya lifted a spare shirt.

Tanaka raised his hand to catch it, but Nishinoya went, “Yours if you tell me what you were doin’ rollin’ around in the dirt!” He glanced at Kiyoko for a millisecond with a gremlin smile. She blinked.

Tanaka scoffed, “Oh that? I was totally kicking Kiyoko-san’s ass in track racing! I’d be even more dirty if she hadn’t eaten half the planet’s dust.” The second-years booed him.

Kiyoko’s glasses glinted, “Big words from my onion ring supplier.”

“Don’t worry, Kiyoko-san, nobody believes this fool.” Nishinoya gave her a serious thumbs-up. She returned it. He shrieked.

Tanaka took advantage of the distraction and swiped the shirt to start dressing.

It was a weird thing to blush over, but Kiyoko turned her face away to— give privacy(?) and also— think about how Tanaka cheated as much as he could during their race, while still running like he was escaping the devil.

Here’s the thing. Every single guy Kiyoko ran against in school festivals and unofficial races had “let” her win. Even nice guys. She still raced like it was for the olympic gold, but accelerating on the last metres by herself made her feel ridiculous. Above all, she hated how they would smile so magnanimously, go back to their friends and loudly proclaim, “Aw, she totally kicked my ass!” then get treated like a king.

Here’s the other thing. Ever since she let him carry the manager bag, Tanaka was simultaneously more polite and less nice to her when they were alone, in a way that had thrills running up her arms and to her head, making her hairs stand up.

“How do I look? Be honest.”

Kiyoko glanced sideways and then fully faced Tanaka with his arms spread out to show himself in a very tight, very short shirt, his bellybutton out in the open.

Nishinoya was losing his mind. “Sorry man, pffft, that’s from last year!”

“Hn,” she pointed, “doesn’t go with your shorts.”

Tanaka bent to cuff his shorts up to quarter-thigh. Kiyoko looked respectfully.

“That’s power,” she said.

Tanaka snapped his fingers with scatterbrained sauce and catwalked to a spot where they were starting to serve balls at bottles on the other side of the net.

_That’s power? What does that mean, Kiyoko. The word is powersome. No, wait—_

There was a scream and suddenly a blond head was forcing Kiyoko’s nose into Kiyoko’s face. She blacked out and came to with her back to the wall, a Yachi in her arms, and a ball bouncing at their feet.

“Senpai...” the girl looked up feebly, her forehead red, “forgive me...I laid down my measly life for you and this clumsy body of mine ended up killing you instead...” Kiyoko half expected her to cough up blood anytime now.

“DUDE, TSUKISHIMA!”

“WHAT TERRIBLE AIM!”

“TSUKISHIMA, FIVE HUNDRED PUSH UPS NOW!”

Hinata punched Tsukishima’s back non-stop as Yamaguchi tried to pull him off. The third years and coaches swarmed around the girls.

“My bad, Yachi-san.” Tsukishima laid down for his punishment and Nishinoya sat on him. “Egh. One...”

“NO ‘EGH’ AND APOLOGIZE TO KIYOKO TOO!”

“T-Two—Sorry, senpai.”

Kiyoko, still in a painful daze, managed, “It’d ogay, Dzukijima...I’m ogay, guys...Yaji, are you ogay?”

Yachi jumped away, “Y-YOU’RE BLEEDING! I NEED TO DIE!”

“Jusd a widdle, zo don’ die. Erm, zowwy, I goddit in your hehr.” Yachi began hyperventilating for real.

“PLEASE DON’T APOLOGIZE TO ME! I LIKE BLOOD IN MY HAIR! PLEASE DON’T APOLOGIZE TO ME!”

“Ah, zowwy. I bean, thanks. For, you dohw, prodecting—” Yachi’s tears spilled over and Kiyoko felt so bad, because it really was okay, it just hurt a lot, and she couldn’t convey that to her panicking assistant, “I bean—“

Tanaka’s face suddenly appeared very close in her vision. She bled more profusely.

He held up a small white towel for her, and she took it and pressed it against the bleeding as he asked, “Broken? Can you see stuff, use your words.”

She shook her head. "Dot broken. It'd juzd a lil' bluwwy." Her glasses were getting foggy from the towel, which was annoying so she lifted them to the top of her head and it didn't help with the blurryness but it did with the pressure.

“Oh thank God, oh kill me,” Yachi cried, flittering around them.

Tanaka gave Kiyoko a little push and they started walking. Where, she didn’t know, but he was paying attention to her steps. She walked steady. He exchanged a look with Daichi, who then called.

“ALRIGHT! She’ll be fine, get back to drills. Except you, Tsukishima, keep going.”

“Tch. Fifteen.”

“OI, YACHI!” The girl in question froze, looking up to see Tanaka’s most murderous expression fixed on her as they walked.

She eeped, scared for her life but unwilling to leave Kiyoko, “T-T-Tanaka-san—“

He suddenly gave her a shark grin, “Dude, pretty good reflexes, Yacchan!”

Yachi reeled. “W-w-what?”

“Hey, why’re you crying, I mean it. Next time one of us pulls a CRAPPY SERVE like that,” he yelled in Tsukishima’s direction, “you’re gonna be our hero, mark my words. Yeah, be more careful, yadda yadda, I already know you will be. This kinda stuff happens all the time,” he waved around. “And Kiyoko-san’s the toughest person ever, after me, of course. She knew what she signed up for.” Kiyoko nodded. He winced sympathetically, “that’s gotta hurt like a mother, but she’s takin’ it like a champ. You too,” Tanaka gently knocked Yachi’s head, “hard like mine,” he laughed.

Yachi’s tears still streamed non-stop, but she was focused on Tanaka and much, much calmer.

They arrived at the gym’s doors, “‘Sides, it’s gonna take a lot more to unpretty that,” he pointed at Kiyoko’s bleeding face, which felt like it was the size of a house, “so really don’t worry ‘bout it, okay? Now go help your senpai to the infirmary, she’s blind.” Kiyoko didn’t even remember to roll her eyes.

Yachi wiped her face roughly and stood straight, “R-right!”

“Attagirl.” Tanaka slugged her shoulder and went back inside.

The two stepped out, carefully going down the stairs. Yachi’s hands hovered around Kiyoko. Her face was throbbing and on top of everything, hot in a way that wasn’t related to the bloodworks.

Let it be known that Kiyoko wasn’t big on touch. But on this weird moment of this weird day she wanted to hug Yachi so bad, and wanted Yachi to hug Tanaka, and wanted herself to hug Tanaka, and maybe all of that at once.

She refrained of course, and thought about saying, _it’s not your fault, I was distracted_ , but her assistant probably wouldn’t take that well.

She grabbed Yachi’s arm instead. From her periphery, Kiyoko saw the girl blink up at her, then felt a soft, clammy palm cover her hand. It was a peaceful walk to the infirmary.

* * *

The Monday of her last week at the Karasuno volleyball club ended unlike any other day she ever had, but it was nice. Half the sky was grey with stormclouds, tinged with the bright yellow of the sun's goodbyes on the other half. She longed to be outside with him, catch the first drops, get zapped with lightning and not die like cartoon characters.

“Oi, senpai, does it still hurt? Is it ok to eat crunchy things?”

“It won’t hurt if I don’t chew.”

“Hmm, I need to brush up on my Heimlich. How about some juice or somethin’? You like kale?”

“No. I want my reward.”

“Okay then, Rocky.”

Tanaka paid for the snacks as she opened her trophy. They exited Sakanoshita, and she extended the bag to him.

Tanaka glanced at it, took an onion ring, then went down on one knee, presenting it to her.

“Let’s get hitched, senpai.”

For a moment, Kiyoko’s breath caught in a tiny gasp. And then she snorted. Tanaka blinked and chuckled along. He sat down on the curb, munching on the ring.

She crouched next to him, resting her arms on her knees, the onion bag dangling from the tips of her fingers.

“Tanaka.” He turned to look at her, an easy smile on his face, little crumbs sticking to his chin.

Kiyoko just stared back, and desperately hoped he knew she felt like she just drank five cups of milk without breathing and could go for ten more. Tanaka’s smile grew slacker and slacker, his eyes going wider and wider, as he watched her watching him.

“Ask me something else.” She demanded quietly, quietly.

“ _Senpai_..!” he gulped, and he was red as if he had just received a hundred spikes with his face.

Still looking at him, she rested her cheek on her extended arm, waiting to say the word she’d been thinking about all day. He tracked the movement, the touch of his gaze so gentle on her face, balmy and true like a spring breeze.

“K-Kiyoko,” Tanaka visibly steeled himself, but his voice still trembled, “you probably don’t know this ‘cause I’m so shy, but I like you, a lot. You make me feel like I rode around on a horse all day and then ate a hundred grilled corns,” that made her eyes misty even as her every atom and the force fields around it smiled, “Agh, I’ll tell you later. Wanna go catch a mov—“

“Yes.”

* * *

“Wow, senpai...didn’t even let me finish...desperate are we?”

“...Don’t be shameless.”

**Author's Note:**

> star wars: kiyoko simps back
> 
> title is from the song House of My Soul (You Light the Rooms) by Langhorne Slim  
> thats a mouthful but its pretty cute i thought it fit these two bozos
> 
> just wanted to appreciate this canon rarepair lol, thanks for reading, please leave a comment if you like!


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